Marcelo’s mother’s family grew up in Argentina, but they have Spanish origins. Many of the dishes Marcelo grew up on had a large Spanish influence. This dish, which features Spanish chorizo and Spanish smoked paprika, is one of their favorites. This is a great soup for a rainy, gloomy day, and especially great on a cold winter night. It’s incredibly hearty and satisfying. It does take a bit longer to make, so it may not be the easiest weeknight meal. It’s perfect for a Sunday supper. We usually try to make a larger batch over the weekend and take some for lunch during the week at work.
It’s been an exceptionally rainy weekend here in Dallas, so this dish came to mind. One of the things we love most about it is that it’s also a pretty cheap dinner. So when we’ve stretched ourselves a bit on our grocery budget for the month, we opt for this dish over an expensive filet of beef or a good fish.
Marcelo insists on the bone-in pork chops, because the bone is key for flavoring the soup. You also want to make sure you buy Spanish chorizo, and not Mexican chorizo. There is a HUGE difference. The Spanish chorizo is typically cured, and not refrigerated. We find it at the deli counter at Central Market with other cured meats and salamis or you can find it on Amazon. They don’t slice it, unfortunately, so we usually buy the entire link, which is about 1 pound. We slice what we need and freeze the rest, taking it out as we need it. The other key ingredient is the smoked paprika. Smoked paprika has such a depth of flavor that just cannot be achieved with regular paprika.
We choose to bake the potatoes, to keep things a bit lighter. Marcelo’s grandma typically will pan-fry the potatoes. This method is quicker, and honestly, a bit tastier (I mean who doesn’t love fried potatoes), but the roasted potatoes still give the crunch that the dish needs.
Your whole house will smell of smoked paprika and chorizo and by the time the soup is ready, your belly will be dying for a nice, big bowl. Top with plenty of fresh parsley, and if you aren’t counting your carbs, a nice piece of crusty bread to soak up all those tasty juices.
Happy Sunday everyone!
Spanish Garbanzo and Chorizo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 large red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 15 ounce cans garbanzo beans
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes (with juice)
- 1 lb bone-in pork chops
- 1/2 lb Spanish chorizo sliced thinly
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 2 medium Russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or stock pot heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Remove bone from pork chops and set aside. Cut up meat into bite-size cubes.
- Sear pork for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned slightly. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil and let heat up.
- Add onion and stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes, until softened slightly. Be sure to scrape up the meaty bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Next, add in red bell peppers and garlic and let cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in canned tomatoes and smoked paprika. Stir to combine and allow to simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the seared pork, pork chop bones (for flavor), garbanzo beans, chorizo, and chicken stock. Add water, if needed, to cover all ingredients with liquid. Stir to combine.
- Cover and let simmer for about 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until pork is tender.
- While soup is simmering, preheat oven to about 400 degrees F. Put cubed potatoes onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until crispy and golden.
- Remove from the oven, season generously with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley. Set aside until soup is done.
- Once pork is tender and soup is ready to serve, pour into bowl and top with crispy potatoes and additional parsley.